Injured RB Ty Montgomery appears close to return for Packers

Montgomery was listed as full participant for a second straight day Thursday while wearing a flak jacket to protect broken ribs sustained against Chicago on Sept. 28. The practice Thursday was the lone padded workout of the week and a key in determining his availability.

“I played with one in high school,” Montgomery said. “It’s very normal. A flak jacket is very normal. It’s not in the way or anything.”

Montgomery said he “felt fine” after getting hit a couple times.

“Based on what we’ve seen in practice, I think he can” play, running backs coach Ben Sirmans said Thursday night. “They have equipment now that can basically absorb any type of impact. Based on what he’s done the past two days, I would say that he’s moving around and it seems like he could play.

Left tackle David Bakhtiari was limited participation for a second consecutive day with a hamstring injury that has kept him out for the past four games. His return would be important against Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen, who leads the NFL with six sacks and has four sacks in the past four games against Green Bay.

If Bakhtiari plays, the Packers would have their first-string offensive line together for the first time this season.

“The biggest thing is when I go back out there to stay out there,” Bakhtiari said. “That’s the most important thing and make sure that I add to the team and don’t hinder us at all. The second it’s good enough, we’re going to give it a go.”

If Bakhtiari doesn’t play, the Packers likely would move left guard Lane Taylor out to left tackle for a third consecutive week, with Justin McCray stepping in at left guard. That would give the Packers the same offensive line for back-to-back weeks for the first time this year.

On defense, the Packers secondary could be two starters. Safety Morgan Burnett (hamstring) and cornerback Kevin King (concussion) haven’t practiced this week. Burnett also plays linebacker in some packages and wears the communication helmet as the defensive play-caller.

“You hate to ever have one of your key cogs not in there, but we’ve gone through a lot of different combinations here in the first five weeks,” defensive coordinator Dom Capers said. “What it does is the guys have to step up and they have to perform.”